Frozen Heart
by Prof. Posiee Woe
Summary: Miyuki Leanova, a teenage half elf, finds herself, bereft of her family and her home, in the Meltokio research laboratory to help with something called Project Corrine. rated for safety. I'm not sure about the pairings, as they will come later. R&R!
1. Downpour of Sorrow

Summary: Miyuki Leanova, a half elf from Flanoir, is taken captive by the Pope's men to help with summon spirit research. She hates the discrimination surrounding her and she's sick of people looking at her oddly in the streets, but when she tries to run away from her captors, and, indecently, her difference, she ends up in an organization of people just like her, yet they are so different…

Disclaimer: I own Miyuki and Reid. Namco owns the rest.

A/N: so, this is my first ToS fanfic. It's also my first attempt at a non-humor fic, which is odd because I usually write non-humor original stories… just not fanfics… oh well! Now's a great time to start, right? So, I'm not asking you not to flame me. Flame me all you want… I know that some of my writing is complete crap, especially these fanfics, since I don't spend as much time editing them as I do my other stories. I would, however, like to ask you to review. I love constructive criticism and I find it helpful, so if you see anything I should improve on… PLEASE tell me

Chapter One

Downpour of Sorrow

Shadows danced around a small campfire. The rain was coming down in thick sheets and the minute flame could not survive. The trees of the Gaoracchia forest provided little shelter from the downpour, but Miyuki Leanova had seen, or rather felt worse.

The moon, full and bright, was nearly at its climax and shone through the leaves above Miyuki, casting a dim beam of light down on her. Violet hair, which faded into lilac at the tips, fell halfway down her back and she had sad, grey-green eyes framed with long eyelashes. The cuffs of her baggy olive green capris were caked in mud and her feet were covered in dried blood and calluses.

Shivering, Miyuki snuggled into her bedroll and yawned. She hated being the night watch, especially in the tyrannical rain, but she knew better to complain. It wasn't particularly the cold that bothered her, as she had grown up near the Temple of Ice and the temperatures here were almost tropical, to her. The rain, however, was a different matter. In Flanoir, where it rarely stopped snowing, she had never experienced rain. The feeling could only be described as, well, wet.

She had been the night watch for the past two nights and had gotten very little sleep because of it. _I'll just lie down. I won't go to sleep; I'll just lie down. _She thought, flicking a strand of hair away from her face. _Nothing can be wrong with being comfortable while I watch, can there?_ She yawned.

Before long, Miyuki's eyes were drooping and she found herself thinking, _maybe I could just listen… _ but it was hopeless. She wiggled farther down into her bedroll and had one last though before dozing off, _surely they won't hurt me to badly…_ she sunk into a dream of being normal, of being home, and of being needed, wanted and loved.

Miyuki woke a few hours later, but she felt as if she'd just closed her eyes. A sharp pain suddenly struck her knee and her eyes flickered open to see a booted foot swinging back. Another blow jolted her knee, making the kneecap crack slightly.

Miyuki sat up and slowly raised her eyes. A short, chubby, mow hawked brunette stood before her. "You stupid, stupid half elf!" The man shouted at her. Miyuki was slightly confused at first, but then remembered the night before. "How could you possibly fall asleep on the night watch?" as she did not respond, he continued. "We're bringing you to Meltokio for a chance at a job. You should be grateful! Not many half elves your age have jobs! You should be thanking us, but, instead, you fall asleep on your shift!"

Miyuki lowered her eyes; "I like my life just fine until you came." she said in a soft quiet voice.

The man kicked her knee again, which buckled, and he snarled, "what did you say, you little slimy, scummy, half elf?"

"Leave her alone, Vharley. She'll need time to understand that we're doing her a favor. We did destroy her home, after all." A black haired man cut him off, smiling ironically.

Vharley threw Miyuki a look that said all to clearly, _I'm not done with you_ and he waddled over to the other man.

He gave Vharley a little bow in greeting, but he was still a head taller than him. Even though they spoke in quiet voices, Miyuki's excellent hearing was able to pick up every word.

"You'll hurt her if you're not careful." The tall man said

"And if I do? She's half elf, for goodness sake, Reid!" Vharley said exasperatedly.

"Half elf or not, she's our only hope to complete project Corrine! The Pope won't be happy if we bring his prize back broken and mangled."

Miyuki didn't know what _Project Corrine_ was and neither, judging by Vharley's response, did he.

"Project Corrine? The pope told me they were for exphere research!" Vharley fumed.

"He would say that, wouldn't her?" Reid laughed, "You, Vharley, are an exphere broker. Tell me, would you have agreed to do this if there hadn't been anything in it that would profit you?" He looked doubtful.

"Do you mean to tell me that there will be no exphere research done with these?" he gestured toward the other half elves in their makeshift camp.

"Oh, no! There will be some exphere research done, but this one here," Reid indicated Miyuki "she'll be helping us, in the research laboratory, with Project Corrine!"

"What is Project Corrine?" Vharley asked, confused.

"It is not my place to tell you. If the Pope has not chosen to inform you, then I would assume he does not want you to know."

"Vharley drew himself up to his full height and said, "I'm sure he will tell me when we deliver these specimen." He indicated the, now waking, half elves.

Reid shrugged, ending their conversation. Vharley went to terrorize a small, 9 year old, half elf, child.

Shaking his head in disapproval, Reid disappeared behind a bright purple tent flap.

Miyuki stood and looked around. The rain had slowed into a persistent drizzle. Testing her damaged leg, she winced and hobbled over to her bag and pulled out a new set of clothes to change into.

Emerging from behind a tree in her clean clothes, Miyuki stepped backwards in surprise. Reid was leaning against the tree, back to the trunk, arms crossed. He smiled at her, swishing his jet-black hair out of his eyes and holding out a slice of bread and cheese.

Miyuki shook her head and backed away. She had been taught at a young age by her mother, Shiori, to accept nothing from humans, for it might be a trap.

Reid chuckled and sad down in the dirt, in between two large tree roots. "Come on, take it." He smiled, revealing brilliantly white, straight teeth.

Miyuki shook her head again. She had also been taught to avoid interaction with humans.

Reid laughed again and said, "you think I've poisoned it?" he raised his eyebrows "now why would I do that?"

Miyuki looked down at her cut, bloody feet.

As she did not respond, he said, "Look, dear, a one way conversation isn't going to get us anywhere." He beckoned for her to move closer and said "come over here."

She would have rather stayed as far away from him as possible, but Miyuki dared not dis-obey a direct order. She moved a few steps nearer but could not go further, for her leg was wobbling violently beneath her, threatening to give way at any moment and making her feel quite faint.

Mistaking her queasiness for a feeling of unease, "I won't hurt you." He looked over at the rest of their group, "I'm not like Vharley," he said with disgust. He smiled back up at Miyuki "will you at least eat something? With the little sleep you've gotten and the way he's been treating you, "Reid jabbed a finger in the direction of Vharley, who was now beating an old woman, "it'll be a wonder if you don't fall down while we're walking across the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. The least I can do is give you some decent food!" he said exasperatedly, patting the earth beside him.

Miyuki took the hint and sat down. She didn't think she could've stood for much longer, anyway. Reid held out the bread again and she took it. "Why are you being so kind?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know." He said shrugging his shoulders "most people would just ignore you, huh?" he sighed, "I guess it's because of my sisters. They're both half elf and there doesn't seem to be much wrong with my younger one, although I don't know about the older one, as I've never met her." Apparently he though he had said enough and stood. "Well, you'd better get ready." He said and walked off into his tent.

After nibbling on the cheese Reid had given her, Miyuki set off hobbling with the rest of the group.

Soon they arrived at the Grand Tethe'alla Bridge. It was giant! Miyuki had heard rumors of its size and power before but she never would have suspected this. She heard another half elf telling her son, "It's run on expheres. Hundreds of them!"

Miyuki, her fellow hostages, and their captors soon began the long process of walking across it and, by the time they'd reached the other side, the sun was setting. She was so exhausted by the time they set up camp that she didn't even remember opening her eyes.

Miyuki woke suddenly, not quite knowing why. It was silent in the camp, for the rain had ceased during the night and Miyuki felt as if she were deaf. Before she knew what she was doing, she had gotten up and was making her way to the edge of the camp, weaving in-between the many sleeping bodies. She slipped in-between trees, silently, hardly knowing what force drove her onward.

Breaking into a run, Miyuki heard to voices. They were far away but she could hear them as well as if they were only a few feet away. Stopping dead, as much for the interest of listening as the pain in her leg, she listed and sharply drew breath, for she recognized one of the voices.

"Yes, we're headed for Meltokio. Why?" the voice belonged to Reid.

"No particular reason, it's just that-" Miyuki did not recognize this voice but she could guess he was young, no more than 15, for his voice cracked and wavered, like that of an adolescent. "Oh! My lord!" he exclaimed.

Miyuki hurried on, still listening to the conversation,

"Oh! This must be the esteemed leader of the Renagades." She heard Reid say.

Miyuki was quite a ways from the camp when she came upon a clearing. Three people stood beneath the trees. Reid, of course, was one of them, anther was dressed in red and black and had a helmet, she assumed this was the youth, and the third, she did not know, for he wore a cloak and his face was hidden in shadow.

The cloaked man bowed in acknowledgment, but said nothing.

Reid also bowed but then said, " I must be getting back to camp. We will speak on another night," he turned to see Miyuki's face peering from behind a tree. His eyes widened in surprise, but then he relaxed.

Miyuki tried a half smile, trying not to look guilty. Reid strode over to her and taunted, "running away are we?"

Miyuki said nothing and lowered her eyes.

"Come on, we can't have escaping yet." He smiled putting his hand in the small of her back, Reid directed her back to camp. Miyuki said nothing the whole while, but Reid lectured her on the dangers of leaving without outside help.


	2. A New Home

Disclaimer: Namco pwns it all!

A/N: Here's the second chapter, finally. I'm sorry it took me so long to post it. I had a very busy summer and then when I got back, my computer crashed. Well, enough with excuses, here's the second chapter! I'll be editing chapter one soon for some of you that cared to critique it.

Chapter Two

A New Home

The trek to Meltokio was uneventful. Reid had, apparently, not told Vharley anything of Miyuki's attempted escape. In fact, Vharley seemed to paying her as little attention as possible.

Reid, on the other hand, was doing anything but ignore her. He watched her while they walked, for a time, but then attempted a conversation. "Hey, Miyuki." he began, casually walking next to her. "See that, over there." He pointed ahead of them to a mound in the distance. "That's Meltokio, the Imperial city." He said proudly, as if he owned it.

Miyuki looked where Reid was pointing, but she didn't understand why he was so thrilled. From where she was, it just looked like a small speck in her vision. She tilted her head to one side and looked at him, quizzically.

Seeing the look on her face, Reid proceeded to explain. "It's the largest city in Tethe'alla! The King, the Pope, and the Chosen all live there!"

Miyuki looked at the place darkly, thinking of the things that the pope had done, or the things that were done in his name, to her life.

The two walked in silence for a short while, watching the city become larger as they approached it.

Miyuki and Reid said nothing more to each other until they reached the city gates. Vharley had the other half elves come with him to a camp outside the city, where some extra guards would join them before backtracking to Sybak, and Reid led Miyuki into Meltokio.

Now that she was inside, Miyuki understood Reid's enthusiasm while speaking of the place. It was much larger than she had imagined and there were many people bustling about the streets. Miyuki's jaw dropped at the sight of so many shops and she let out a small gasp as her eyes took in the sight before her.

"This is just the lover level." Reid grinned at her obvious astonishment

"There's more?" she asked amazed, completely forgetting her fear of people.

"Yup, there's three more, but you won't get to see them today, maybe never." He sighed "You'll be working the research laboratory, follow me." And he led her down the street until they reached a large white building. "This is the laboratory. It's where my-"

A pink blur entered into Miyuki's vision and slammed into Reid, cutting off his sentence.

"Kohanna!" Reid gasped, clutching his stomach

A Pink haired girl stood with her back to Miyuki, looking at Reid, hands on her hips. "You didn't come back in time for my birthday!" She pouted.

Reid looked puzzled "Kohanna, your birthday's in March."

"Your point?" The girl asked

"It's October."

"So? You still missed it! You've been gone since last December!"

Reid ignored her and turned to Miyuki. "This is my sister, Kohanna."

The girl turned around and flashed Miyuki a smile. She had bright, happy blue eyes and wore a white lab coat. She looked about ten years old to Miyuki and why such a young girl was working here, at a laboratory, Miyuki didn't know.

"I thought you said that I was the only woman in your life!" Kohanna teased and then winked at Miyuki.

"You are, sadly." Reid frowned "anyway, Miyuki's here to help with Project Corrine." He explained.

Kohanna raised her eyebrows at him and then took Miyuki's hand and pulled her into the building.

Miyuki, who was very confused, asked "Reid's your older brother, right?"

"Yeah, he's sixteen. We have a sister too who's half elf like me. According to Reid's calculations, she should be about thirteen or fourteen by now."

Remembering what Reid had told her before; Miyuki opened her mouth to ask but then clamped it shut. It was not her place to pry into other people's lives.

"You're working on PC too, huh?" asked Kohanna, changing the subject. Miyuki looked puzzled and Kohanna explained, "PC. That's what we call Project Corrine."

Miyuki had head about Project Corrine before from both Reid and Vharley but she had yet to learn what it entailed. "What, exactly, is PC?" she asked, voicing her thoughts.

"You don't know?" Kohanna looked amazed "Well, we're trying to create a summon spirit with our technology but we've never gotten anything solid, or anything real in the passed year we've been working on it." She shrugged. "Anyway, there are a bunch of us in groups all trying for the same thing. Our latest member quite after three days on the job, thank Martel! He was such a know-it-all." She gestured with her hand and said "You can stay in our dorm tonight. There's an extra bunk." And she waved her through a door behind he desk in the entrance room.

When the two girls finally made it to the end of the hallway, Kohanna opened a wooden door and pushed Miyuki through it.

Entereing into a small room with two sets of double bunks, Miyuki saw two other girls, about her age, in the room, both wearing white lab coats, like Kohanna. One, with dark green hair piled on her head and glasses, lay on her stomach, propped on her elbows, on one of the top bunks, staring up at the ceiling. The other, with shoulder length lavender hair, sat on a bottom bunk reading a book titled _Summon Spirit Science._

"Hey, guys!" Kohanna called to them.

The two girls trned around to look at Miyuki and the one who was reading pushed her glasses up on her nose "Hey, Kohanna," she smiled "who's the new one?"

"Oh, this is Miyuki. She's new at the lab, so she's up for grabs, I guess." Kohanna explained to her friends. Miyuki didn't quite understand what Kohanna meant by _up for grabs _but the others seamed to.

"Don't let PC3 know about her or they'll make sure we don't get her." The green haired girl warned then adding to Miyuki, "By the way, I'm Kate."

"I'm Emma!" The other girl introduced herself, getting up, hand outstretched.

Shaking it, Miyuki heard a voice behind her "It's nice to see you're making friends." She turned to see Reid, carrying her bag, which she had forgotten by the front of the building.

_Friends. _Miyuki pondered the word. _Could I really make friends here? Real friends?_

Bringing the attention back on herself, Kohanna tugged on Miyuki's arm. "You can have the other top bunk!" and then she dragged Reid out of the room for what she called _a heart to heart conversation between siblings. _And what He called _a lecture from a ten year old. _

Once outside of the secret entrance to the rooms, Kohanna whined "Reid, why are you always gone for so long?"

It's my work. You know I don't know how long I'll be gone." He responded, sighing. "Oh, sorry I missed your birthday." He reached inside a pocket in his coat and pulled out a golden chain, a small, pink flower pendant hanging from in, and handed it to his sister.

Clasping it around her neck, Kohanna said, "You didn't have to. Besides, you brought Miyuki here. That's a gift in itself. She may be able to help us complete PC."

"Well, that's good. At least my trip wasn't for nothing, although I'd hoped to find a lead on our other sister." Reid shrugged and then mumbled "There's something about her…"

"Are you sure I'm not the only woman in your life?" Kohanna laughed, elbowing him.

Kate set down her book and looked over at Miyuki. "So, you're a Summon Spirit researcher, right?" She looked slightly worried.

"Or a technology expert?" Emma asked, seaming to dread the answer.

"No!" Miyuki exclaimed. "I know next to nothing about technology! I'd be afraid that I'd blow something up if I touch anything." She looked slightly alarmed by the other girl's assumptions. "As for a researcher, well, I wouldn't go so far as to call it that." She shook her head. Despite having lived by the temple of ice, where Celsius was supposed to dwell, She knew nothing more than what her mother had told her when she was young.

"Then why are you here?" Emma looked puzzled.

"I don't really know." Miyuki confessed.

"You mean you didn't volunteer for the job?" Kate asked, astounded.

"Volunteer? Why would I do that?" Miyuki could not believe that anyone would give up a home and their family for a job.

"The reward, of course!" Emma sighed.

"10,000 gald for each group member to spend as they please." Kate groaned with longing.

"It's the closest any of us will ever get to freedom." Said Kohanna who had re-entered the room, without Reid.

Miyuki did not reply as she climbed up onto her bunk but she though about Freedom. _I was free. _She thought, _wasn't I? Or perhaps freedom is different._ And when she thought about the word, hiding from humans and civilization didn't quite come to mind.


	3. Grave News

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

A/N: OMG! Guess what? I didn't die! Yeah, it's been like a year since I've updated, but I still live. I was really busy with school, and writer's block, that I never got around to writing the next chapter. I was working on my original story quite a bit as well. If you want to read that, visit my deviantart page. I'm carrotcakeninja on that website.

Anyway, I know this chapter is lacking and everything, but I hope it's not too eye burning.

**Grave News**

Dashing around corners, up and down stairs, Miyuki couldn't believe it. She was lost already! When first entering the lab, she'd thought it was small and was relieved, but when Kohanna and Kate had given her a tour, she wasn't sure how long she would stay sane. With the abundance of stairs and hidden passages, she was surprised she hadn't lost her way before then, and the identical doors didn't help much either.

Sitting down outside one of these such doors, she sighed and, as a loud gurgling noise reached her ears, she started. Realizing it was her stomach, she groaned. Standing up, she said out loud to the door, "They couldn't have put the lunchroom any closer to here, could they?"

"How much closer do you want it?" a voice came from the now open door. Kate stood in the doorway, smiling.

Miyuki smiled at her new friend and brushed the dust off of her lab coat as she entered the room. "Thanks," she said, and closed the door behind her.

Miyuki sat down at one of the five tables, where Kohanna and Emma were already enjoying their meal. Kohanna looked up from her plate and smiled at Miyuki. "Nice to see you made it. For a while, we thought you'd left us."

Miyuki was about to interject, but Emma beat her to it. "Okay, now that we're all here, we can figure out what to try next. Corrine doesn't seem to react to anything we've tried yet, but at least it's solid, which is more than PC4 can say."

"What have you tried so far?" Miyuki asked, reaching for the pitcher of Kirima juice.

"All Kinds of things." Kohanna sighed.

"Electric shocks," Kate said.

"Element zapping," Emma added.

"We've even tried using exspheres, which is even against our morals," Kohanna grimaced.

"Well, I wouldn't have expected the electric shock to work, and the same goes for the elemental zapping." Miyuki shrugged, "and exspheres amplify your powers, right? So something that doesn't have powers couldn't have them augmented."

"With your logic, we may yet succeed!" Kate exclaimed.

"Yeah, you want to try using it the other way? What would make something inanimate, animated?"

"I suppose you could try fusing it with mana, perhaps a mana fragment attatched to an accessory?" Miyuki shrugged, taking a drink of her juice.

After a short discussion on Miyuki's idea, none of them could find a flaw, and they headed to the lab to try it.

"So, we'll fuse the mana fragment to this bell, right?" Kate asked, holding up a bell attached to a collar. Miyuki nodded, and rolled up her sleeves. Kate fastened the collar around Corrine's neck, and said, "Ready when you are."

Moving foreword, Miyuki closed her eyes and concentrated, putting her hands over the small fuzzy body. She took a deep breath before crying "Charge!" She could feel a small amount of mana passing through her fingers into Corrine, who was underneath them, and when she opened her eyes, so did Corrine.

Squealing with delight, Kohanna hugged Miyuki. "It worked! He's so cute!"

"But we still have to make him a summon spirit," Emma pointed out.

Miyuki sat on her top bunk, pondering their newest challenge: how to make one a summon spirit. Corrine was curled up on her pillow, and as she looked down at the sleeping creature, she sighed. He might be living, but he was most definitely not a summon spirit.

"Whatcha worrying about?" Kohanna had climbed up to join her.

"Summon spirits." Miyuki rubbed her temples. "They're bound to their element, to the one they have a pact with, and the world they live in, right? So, if we connect him with Tethe'alla and choose what he represents, it would work."

"Can he represent friendship?" Kohanna asked, sweetly.

Kate laughed and nodded, "Sure he can."

Emma frowned. "I heard their connected to the goddess too, but how do we do that? Isn't she sort of asleep?"

"That's just a myth," Miyuki shook her head. "The goddess doesn't have any control over them."

"Well, that's a relief." Said a voice coming from the now open door. It was Reid. "I just came by to congratulate you all."

"Yeah!" Kohanna bounded down and hugged her brother. "You wanna pet him?"

The four girls spent the rest of the evening with Reid, playing with Corrine, but their good time was interrupted by a knock on the door. A small boy came in and said, importantly, "I have a letter for a Kate."

Kate walked foreword and took the letter. After scanning it twice, she looked up. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and her voice wavered as she spoke. "My father's transferring me to Sybak to do exsphere research."


End file.
